Publication Type: Panel PaperAbstract: Universities and colleges exist in a global world, with a growing number of its faculty, staff and students originating from diverse and differentiating systems. It is no longer sufficient to work on ethics within the limited structures of an individual organization, a state system, or even national system of higher education. The movement for an ethical academy must be global and there are several efforts currently happening that could lead the way. A systems approach is, therefore, necessary to create an ethical academy. In this context, “the ethical academy is one in which individual actors (i.e., students, faculty, staff) are provided the atmosphere, climate, or environments that support ethical decisions to be made over unethical decisions. The climate “influences what ethical conflicts are considered, the process by which such conflicts are resolved, and the characteristics of their resolution” (Gallant 2010; Victor & Cullen 1988). As an organizing framework, a systems approach to fostering academic virtue must be defended not only in terms of individual levels of compliance with codes of conduct, but primarily communicated as a comprehensive aspect of institutional activities and priorities. And although national, cultural and organizational differences certainly influence how different systems of higher education relate to institutional corruption, there seem to be broad agreement that safeguarding the primary educational goods associated with tertiary education is fundamentally important to the future development of stable and productive societies.